Dark Beacon (2017) User Reviews

It was just so horribly boring and mundane...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 17 December 2018]

I found this movie by sheer random luck. I hadn't heard about it, nor did I know what it was about. I assumed it was a horror movie, from what I read on the synopsis.

Turned out that I was in for a very long ordeal of a movie that had a very shallow and pointless storyline at heart. This movie was boring. Yeah, that is being bluntly honest, but it was. It was gut wrenchingly boring and so very little happened throughout the course of the entire movie, and even less so happened of any interest or worth.

It was a tough ordeal to suffer through "Dark Beacon", but I endured it. I did so in the hopes of the movie picking up and becoming better. That just never happened and now I am missing about an hour and a half from my life.

I will say that there are some nice scenic shots in the movie, and the camera-work is actually quite good. But those things alone or put together hardly makes for an entertaining movie.

The characters in the movie were mundane, one-dimensional and could essentially just as easily had been replaced by cardboard cutouts. The dialogue was adequate, although it didn't really matter much as the characters portrayed in the movie were pointless. And the cast included a very few members, so there was a lot riding on the back of the actresses performing here, just a shame that they were restricted by script, storyline and characters.

"Dark Beacon" was not entertaining in any real sense, and this is definitely not a movie that I would recommend that you take the time, effort or spend money on watching. Nor is it the type of movie that can sustain more than a single viewing, as it hardly couple manage to sustain even that very first viewing.

This movie should be avoided, unless you absolutely have nothing else to watch at hand.

Dark Beacon

[nickbates-91260 · 4/10 · 3 May 2018]

Dark Beacon is a beautifully shot, well acted movie. It is also a slow and slightly boring movie. It could have been so much better, unfortunately. It just felt very generic apart from the scenery which was beautiful. Very mediocre, and I do wish I hadn't paid to see it. I had been trying to decide wether or not to watch after seeing the trailer and thinking it had potential. I was swayed by the other positive reviews here. Would I recommend it? No. Would i recommend you pay to watch it? No. But if you need an unoriginal movie to fill the time, this ones not too bad.

VERY slow

[markstefano-88101 · 3/10 · 23 January 2022]

God this dragged and was as flat as a pancake. It looked beautiful and the acting i thought was fine, but if my insomnia does not improve i am thinking of watching this again to help me get off. What it is it with these movies that take 5 minutes to show someone going into a room. It is not suspenseful,it is not atmospheric,it is however incredibly tedious and sleep inducing.

Would not recommend.

Pointless and aimless

[chuckm76 · 2/10 · 20 November 2018]

Atrocious in every way but especially the acting. A pointless endeavour with barely a story or plot to hold it together.

How can a 1hr 15m film drag so much, that's an achievement in itself.

Terrible

Lesbian Ghost Story?

[Old_School_Gamer · 2/10 · 19 December 2019]

Funny how they can't use the word "lesbian" in the description of the movie and replace it with "paramour" - odd.

Anyway, this movie took 1.25 hours of my life that I will never get back. Horrible acting. Dumb plot.

Run for your life.

bad acting and directing..!

[tamer_oci · 1/10 · 19 December 2019]

Unfortunately .. totally waste of time! ... it's obvious a low budget movie .. nothing at all to expect from it .. avoid at all costs..

Boring and slow

[antimonos · 1/10 · 4 March 2022]

Not much to write here only that it is slow and boring. I only finished it because I don't like quitting. I fell for the "judging a book by it's cover" trope and now I feel duped like watching an Asylum movie. Will definitely avoid anything directed by this Coz guy in the future.

Classic psychological ghost story

[sfairgrieve-908-872509 · 8/10 · 5 May 2018]

This on one of those suspense/horror movies that divides people into two camps, because the pacing is slow, it relies on atmosphere and tension instead of jump scare and gore, and it leaves you with more questions than answers.

Many of the reviews of this film I have read are in the "boring and confusing" camp. I am in the other. To me this is a slow burn ghost story in the classic tradition. The plot builds deliberately to a climax, with little revelations along the way that put some of the pieces of the puzzle together. As the plot develops, an atmosphere of tension and dread is built to a climax that ends the tension but doesn't provide all the answers. Is there something supernatural going on, or are we seeing people struggling with mental illness (and, in one case, alcoholism)?

My one knock is that the story is fairly routine in the psychological ghost story genre. If you've seen many similar movies, as I have, you're not going to see much that seems fresh, but there is still enough here in the plot, cinematography, and acting to make it well worth a watch.

Slow burn, but beautifully creepy!

[icocleric · 6/10 · 23 February 2022]

The pacing was slow, and I wish there was a little bit more of a story to what is happening, or what is going on with the woman who moved to the lighthouse. But I still enjoyed the watch, and it did have some pretty creepy moments going on.

It was really beautiful scenery, and great cinematography. The acting was pretty reasonable too. It was overall a good film, but did have room for some improvements that really would have made it more more exciting.

Fantastic Film

[mlockhurst · 9/10 · 1 April 2018]

Dark Beacon is a fantastic film which kept me engaged and interested the whole way through. For me, the location was unique, interesting and offered the feeling of seclusion which paired brilliantly with the story plot. I loved the twist at the end and the subtle effects used throughout the film. The acting and story line was good though I would of liked to see a little more sexual tension between the two female characters. For me, I almost wanted more urgency with them. Overall though thoroughly enjoyed this film and will definitely recommend it to friends and family

Not the brightest light(house)

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 25 September 2022]

No pun intended and not something to be taken too literally. Maybe I am not even talking about the movie but about ... myself? Who knows? Yes I should know - but do I? Ok, let's not go down that road, my mind is twisted enough as it is. And talking about twisting ... yes the movie does hold a surprise or two for you. Maybe you can guess them before they happen ... if you actually think about it ... you probably will.

But if you have a heart for low budget (horror) movies, you will suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow. The acting is decent enough and the story and the mystery work from start to finish.

Directing and cinematography is excellent

[FelixWman · 10/10 · 23 April 2018]

Absolutely loved this film, the scenery really elevates the feeling of seclusion. Lynne plays the role of a physiologically effected widow very well. Definitely worth seeing.

Decent; could've been great

[I_Ailurophile · 7/10 · 23 September 2022]

This is an odd one. The sound design is deeply imbalanced; not just whispers but a fair bit of ordinary dialogue is squelched down and nearly inaudible, while the atmospheric score, music cues, and sounds ring through loud and clear. Every aspect of the writing feels disordered, haphazard, and possibly outright contrived from the start; the premise is promising at a basic level, but the movie can't claim an auspicious beginning. Worse, in a small runtime of only 75 minutes, as we're more than halfway through the situation doesn't seem to have improved. At the same time, any oddities that are supposed to inspire fright, or even just an indescribable unease, instead only come off largely as unfortunate happenstance, or a reflection of the chief three characters struggling to cope with the changes in their lives that are slowly pieced together for the audience as the digital timer progresses. That last bit turns out to be the important one, sure, yet for much of the picture the pieces don't fully come together. There are good ideas here, but I'm unsure if 'Dark beacon' is the best realization of them.

The flashback scenes ultimately feel unnecessary, mostly just serving to pad out the length. The feature can claim very strong airs of psychological horror, a rather tight and swift go at the genre. However, the execution thereof doesn't feel altogether complete, as though it doesn't explore deeply or widely enough. With that, as the full impact of these notions come to bear - crystalizing only within about the last 15 minutes or so - it's as though the film is a jigsaw puzzle in which one or two random pieces are missing. In concept this is fantastic; in the details of how it is put together, the result leaves a bit to be desired.

The chief filming location is gorgeous, and a superb setting for this story. It's well made from a technical standpoint, with excellent cinematography, editing, direction, and use of lighting. The cast give great, meaningful, spirited performances - April Pearson, Lynne Anne Rodgers, and even young newcomer Kendra Mei (here making her debut). I do quite like the music, and scenes are orchestrated well as they are. So why do I still somehow feel like something's missing? 'Dark beacon' aims high, and goes far, but just can't quite achieve its goal. I appreciate what director Coz Greenop, and co-writer Lee Apsey, have concocted, and I hope to see more from them in the future as they hone their capabilities. I do like 'Dark beacon,' but I just wish I liked it more than I do - it's decent; it could've been great.